The Lost Body

The Botched Hanging: Three centuries ago a witch named Amanda was hanged from the Hanging Tree on Somber Road. The terrified executioner botched the job and the noose sliced off Amanda's head. The still-living head rolled into a snake-infested swamp and was never found. The headless body was buried in an unmarked grave. Fast-forward 300 years: Eli, a 5th grader, steers his bike onto Somber Road as a shortcut home. Too late! Night falls swiftly and he is trapped in darkness. Abruptly, Amanda's head confronts Eli and demands that he find her body so she can again be a whole person. If he does not find her body by the third sunrise, she will tear off his head and use his body. There is no escape. He must find her body - or die! Eli enlists the aid of his little brother Andy, his best friend Elayna, and their faithful dogs, Juba and Nubbin. In their desperate search, they battle giant spiders, flesh-eating rats, a half-rotted corpse and a hideous bat-devil that Amanda summons from the Underworld. Will they find the body before the third sunrise?